Iraq Shortlists 2 Firms for $1bn Power Plant

Iraq’s Electricity Ministry said on Wednesday it had shortlisted two private Kurdish-owned companies to build and operate a power plant costing up to $1 billion in Iraq’s southern Basra province, Reuters reports.

The companies concerned are the Jordan-based Mass Global Investment Co and Arbil-based Kar Group. A winner will be selected at the end of April, electricity ministry spokesman Musab al-Mudarres said in a statement.

The 1,250 megawatt power plant will be constructed on a build-own-operate basis in the Shatt al-Basra, Iraq’s southern oil hub. The winning company will then sell the power generated by the plant to the government, the statement said.